The Neanderkirche (Neander Church) is a Protestant church in the centre of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, the

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' () is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ...

. The building in early

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

was completed in 1687 and later named after the

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

minister and hymn writer

Joachim Neander Joachim Neander (165031 May 1680) was a German Reformed (Calvinist) Church teacher, theologian and hymnwriter whose most famous hymn, '' Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation'' () has been described by John Julian in his '' A ...

. It is now a parish church of the ''Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Düsseldorf-Mitte''. In 1965, a Rieger organ was installed, which is also used for a series of summer concerts.

History

When the counter reformation began in Düsseldorf, activities of the

reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

Protestant church were still tolerated for a while. A ''Predigthaus'' (preaching house) was built on the property of the later church in 1610, but had to be closed in 1614 when the tolerance ended. Protestant Christians were permitted to build churches again only in the second half of the 17th century. The ''Neanderkirche'' was built from 1683 to 1687.Ernst von Schaumburg, in: ''Historische Wanderung durch Düsseldorf'', 5 April 1866, p. 5
Digitalisierte Ausgabe der ULB Düsseldorf
/ref> The church was already inaugurated in 1684. It was named after

in 1916. The Neanderkirche is a

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

of the early

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

. It is now the church of the parish ''Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Düsseldorf-Mitte''. Neanderkirche duesseldorf.jpg, Neanderkirche at night Düsseldorf Neanderkirche n SO.jpg, Interior Düsseldorf Neanderkirche Uhr.jpg, Baroque clock

Church music

An organ was completed in 1965 by

Rieger Orgelbau Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian firm of organ builders, known generally as Rieger. The firm was founded by Franz Rieger. From 1873 it was known as Rieger & Söhne, and from 1879 as Gebrüder Rieger, after his sons took over. At the end of World Wa ...

after a design by Gerhard Schwarz and Hubert Meyers. It is suitable for organ concerts. A series of summer organ concerts, ''Sommerlichen Orgelkonzerte'', has a tradition of more than fifty years. Every year between the end of June and the middle of September, 12 to 14 concerts are played by organists from Düsseldorf and international guests. A choir was founded by the church musician

Oskar Gottlieb Blarr Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (born 6 May 1934) is a German composer, organist, church musician and academic teacher. Career Blarr was born in Sandlack near Bartenstein (East Prussia). The Gothic church with its Baroque organ fascinated him early on; h ...

who conducted the group until 1999, when he was succeeded by Martin Schmeding. From 2003, Sebastian Klein has conducted the choir.

Literature

* Theo Lücker: ''Steine sprechen. Kleiner Wegweiser durch die Düsseldorfer Altstadt''. Verlag T. Ewers, Düsseldorf 1977, S. 80–81 r. 39 Die Neanderkirche * Gisela Vollmer: ''Die Neanderkirche in Düsseldorf. Beiträge zur Baugeschichte.'' In: Düsseldorfer Jahrbuch Nr. 49, 1959, S. 176–185. * Ingo Beucker: ''Die Neanderkirche in Düsseldorf. Restaurierung und Einfügung in das Stadtbild in den Jahren 1957 bis 1959.'' In: Düsseldorfer Jahrbuch Nr. 49, 1959, S. 185–195.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dusseldorf Neanderkirche Churches completed in the 1680s Baroque church buildings in Germany Reformed church buildings in Germany Protestant churches in North Rhine-Westphalia